Does anyone know of any hand-held game devices for our 95-year-old mother in a NH?

Yea, I have a hand held Yahtzee game, just go to the toy dept in Walmart, they have selection of hand held games

SandiJ: Perhaps she could use an offline ipad/tablet.

its great she wants to try, my mum is 76 and doesnt want to know about technology

My spry 95-yr old mother has serious arthritis in her hands limiting her finger dexterity. She really enjoys the Amazon Fire tablet with its touch screen. It's small, not expensive, has lots of free game apps including classic card games, puzzles, word search games -- most don't require sound to play.

She voraciously reads the news sites and e-books on it too. Type sizes, white-on-black texts, light level adjustments are helpful. It has an earphone plug if needed. Earphones are easier than Bluetooth for her. With or without earphones she could listen to audiobooks, too. The library has a vast collection of both e-books and audio,

About the size of a paperback, it's a little heavier than a cell phone, the screen is large and clear and can be navigated using a fingertip or a special rubber tipped pen wand. She often uses a small foam rubber lap easel for propping the device to ease having to hold it. We found the foam easel online. I added a flip over cover that converts to an easel as well but it's a little clumsy by comparison. The cover is for protecting the screen when not in use. She uses the Fire at home so wifi access is easy. We've never tried it offline.

Once it was set up and with a few lessons (and patience on both our parts, lol) she quickly learned all the basics. She hasn't quite got the knack to clear the screen of all the apps she uses in one session -- which can be hours! So I'll clear it before plugging it in to charge for the night. It charges up fast and the charge lasts for many hours. Otherwise she lugs it around in her rollator bag so it goes wherever she does. As a bonus, I learned how to use it myself and yes, we compete at solitaire!

NeuroRacer. It was developed for this purpose. The commercially available version is not the same as the research version, but it should be something Mom can learn to use and learn from. Look online for the app.

I got an older refurbished iPhone for Mom (89 yrs) I removed all the apps except phone and a card game. Took a couple trials but she’s good now. Other residents, staff and myself can easily get her back on track if she gets confused. Also has a kindle, you can get for around $50. I bought a kid case, it’s like a rubber bumper. Easy to hold and protective.

Beware of a noise level rules at the nursing home. Most patients share rooms with others.

Beware of a noise level rules at the nursing home.

Walmart has Nintendo "GameBoy."

Look online or in the local toy department for hand held electronic games. They do not need to involve a cell phone.

Do you have an old cell phone? It doesn’t have to be activated. They can still hook up to Wi-Fi and you can clean off everything but the games she likes.

See if you can borrow an iPad and let her have a play with it. The worst that can happen is nothing much, especially if you make sure it's offline. I base this recommendation primarily on the thought that if my beloved but dyspraxic sister in law can use an iPad then *anyone* can.

Try searching the web for ipads and tablets for dementia, I found a lot of information that you might find helpful.

There must be something on the market for kids that would be easy to operate and have the flashing lights.

You might try a slot machine piggy bank, such as this one. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Jumbo-Slot-Machine-Bank/779724100?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=9830&adid=22222222222353439092&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=s&wl2=c&wl3=75316679853072&wl4=pla-4578916214920578&wl5=&wl6=&wl7=&wl10=Walmart&wl11=Online&wl12=779724100_10000010242&wl14=slot%20machine%20piggybank&veh=sem&msclkid=01b0196dee7e15f7aead7b09e72064ee&gclid=01b0196dee7e15f7aead7b09e72064ee&gclsrc=3p.ds

The machine takes all coins and returns in periodic jackpots. There’s also a way to clean the coins out.